On the recordFebruary 2, 2016
I thank the distinguished minority, the gentleman who has worked so hard on budgets, for yielding. The majority whip referred to November. We are serving notice in this discussion: We are proud to defend healthcare reform and will do so between now, as we did before, and November. Since health care began, the uninsured rate has declined from 20.3 to 11.4, nearly 18 million people now covered who were before uninsured. Now this has also happened: 137 million Americans have free preventive services. The ACA ends lifetime and annual limits on coverage for 105 million Americans. Also what it does--let me just emphasize this--129 million Americans with preexisting health conditions no longer have to worry about being denied care. I met, last weekend, a woman who had breast cancer. She lost her job and lost health insurance. Because of healthcare reform, she received health insurance. Her breast cancer came back. She looked at us and said to us squarely, one on one, each of us: ``I wouldn't be here except for healthcare reform.'' That is what this is all about. This veto will be sustained. It will be sustained because healthcare reform responded to the needs of millions of Americans. We in the Democratic Party are proud of that and will, from now until November, say so with immense ardor.
